Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Elderly Persons

Vitamin b12 deficiency is a problem for most elderly persons, but its prevalence in certain races and ethnic groups has not been investigated. This study looked at the prevalence of vitamin b12 among adults of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent, as compared to whites of a non-hispanic origin. When compared to the white participants, Hispanics of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent had much lower vitamin b12 concentration in their blood. Supplement use helped to correct this deficiency for all participants who had deficiencies. This suggests that people of Hispanic origin may be prone to vitamin b12 deficiency, and that a daily supplement with vitamin b12 may help to avoid the deficiency.

Authors

Kwan LL. Bermudez OI. Tucker KL.

Institution

The Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University